Pam Jenoff has published another historical thriller/mystery, Lost Girls of Paris (Park Row Books, $16.99). The book opens in 1946 with a still grieving woman over the loss of her fiancé, Grace finding a suitcase at Grand Central Station lying unclaimed under a bench. She’s working for an immigration lawyer with a struggling practice in New York. Curious, Grace opens the suitcase finding only photos of young women. Later, on her way to work, she comes upon a traffic accident which she later learns has killed the owner of the suitcase.
She sets out to discover the identity of the English woman who was run-over. Her pursuit is relentless, going to the British embassy, even the CIA. This quest is the weakest part of the book. No normal person would get so involved and this section plods. She has spent the night with an attractive friend of her late husband, then keeps him at two–arms–lengths throughout. Who does that when the man is helping, supporting her, even providing her wonderful quarters in Washington? I guess the sex wasn’t very good. Even by 40s standards.
The other half is the story of female British radio operators dropped into occupied France after rigorous training in shooting, climbing, running, and martial arts. The heroine is Marie who is a single mother of a young daughter. While it doesn’t seem likely the British SOE would use as a secret agent, a woman like Marie, whose death would leave her child an orphan, this story is intriguing, downright exciting. Another plus is the interesting, courageous characters she trains with and the leader of the experimental unit in London.
Marie’s adventures in France produce a page-turner I found realistic, unlike The Nightingale I reviewed several months ago. I won’t spoil it, but the girls in the photos are former special ops radio operatives.
Jenoff does manage surprisingly tie the Grace search mission with Marie into a satisfying conclusion. Though she doesn’t compromise history for the proverbial happy end and the radio girls will be hard for the reader to forget.
Girls is currently on the New York Times Best Seller List and I give it a solid B+. I just wish she had created a better Grace.
Steve E Clark as seen in the New York Times is Author of Justice Is for the Lonely and Justice Is for the Deserving, Kristen
Kerry Novels Of Suspense. Steve is a 2017 NY Big Book Award winner and a 2018 Independent Book Awards recipient. You can purchase his books via SteveClarkAuthor.com/BuyBook or request it at your local book store. Want to know more about Steve Clark, read more reviews or speak directly with Steve? Learn more about Steve at SteveClarkAuthor.com.
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